Art

Monday, June 2, 2014

SCRATCHBOARD FINAL AND BLOG POST

Artists take risks.

-try new things: I have never used a scratch board before. I do not like it. I can not control how much pressure I use with the carving pencil thing. It is difficult because I cannot just erase it like I can with a pencil. I experimented with the scratch board a lot and found that animal fur is the easiest most practical thing to do on a scratch board because that fur affect is what is most easily achieved.

Artists develop art making skills.

- learn techniques and processes: I learned techniques with this, like to draw from where the hair is coming from (or in this case draw from where the feathers are coming from)

- explore media: the media in this case is the scratch board and scratcher pencil. I have never picked up either of these in my life until this project. It looks like a thin flexible mirror covered in dark black goo that dried.

Artists solve problems.

- try alternative solutions: There was really no way to erase or undo what I did with the scratcher. the only way to fix it was to make the area around it more light also.

- use mistakes as learning opportunities: next time around I will try different materials and practice the pressure I use with my hand.

In this project I tried something new. I had to measure Hannah accurately and try to put her life-size body on paper. I have never done this before. The dark red paper we used was even more of a risk. The charcoal was the biggest risk. I wanted to use a normal graphite pencil but it was too light on the red paper. I could not see anything.

Artists develop art making skills.

I learned techniques and processes in this work. I also explored media and really used charcoal a lot more. I found this challenging because you cannot erase charcoal very well since it is so dark. Also, it is very messy. I had fingerprints and hand prints all over the outside of my work.

Artists solve problems.

In this work, I tried alternative solutions to my problems. This includes how I blended the charcoal. I had tried several things. I tried my hands, paper towel, and tortillions. The tortillions worked well for smaller parts but the paper towel worked well for larger parts.

Friday, May 23, 2014

GESTURE DRAWINGS

Artists take risks.

- try new things: This is honestly the very first time I have ever done a gesture drawing. I had never even heard of it. In the beginning, I really did not understand it. We watched videos but the artists did it so quickly. They had a lot of scribbles but somehow in the end they turned out to look nice. It is about showing movement.

- experiment: You have to draw the lines showing which way the limbs and spine are going. Then I found it to look like stick figures. After this, I started to add circles around areas such as kneecaps and shoulders (just any connecting joints) then added more oval-shapes around the legs and torso to show that is has a body, but still shows the clear line of movement.

Artists collaborate.

I definitely shared ideas and knowledge with my classmates during this. To be honest, I was the one needing most of the help. I did explain to others that you are not outlining the body but you are sort of in-lining them (I can't describe it). The different positions were sometimes hard to work with. By this, I mean that when you can't see the other leg... it's difficult because I kept wanting to draw it anyway.

you cannot see the bones in the real-life models, so I had to often ask my friends how they drew the pose.

Artists solve problems.

- try alternative solutions: I remember seeing these wooden models of people in craft stores such as AC Moore. I knew they helped you draw people but as soon as we learned about gesture drawings, it clicked in my head. You can pose the figure any way you want and I think this may have been easier. I realize we do not have money to buy a life-size gesture drawing but I wish we did.

- use mistakes as learning opportunities: I believe if I were to do this in the future it would turn out a lot better. I learned a lot from doing this. I learned a lot about proportions also. the body is 8 heads high and the legs are twice the length of the torso. I feel like when I draw I often try to follow the lines instead of thinking about measurements. I also cannot use a ruler correctly to save my life.

How did you respond to challenges that occurred as you worked?- I definitely just kept trying. These images I posted are NOT the original gesture drawings. I do not wish to post those because they are so badly done. I believe I made progress.

The first two images above are the most recent. Even comparing them to the 3rd picture, you can tell I started to understand the techniques of this idea more.

I explored media by using transparent paper which I have never used for a drawing.

I gained skill with familiar materials. I had used art pencils often but never in my life have I done it on transparent paper. This was a big leap for me.

Artists communicate through their work.

This is a self-expression drawing that is intended to say we are all dead inside. The top transparency paper shows the skin on top of the skeleton that we see every day. The bottom paper shows a skull. When you put them together you can see them both. While we are very alive at this moment, time will eventually show the skeleton instead. It also shows that while we have this perfect-picture view of ourselves, our true form lies just beneath the skin. I mean that literally and metaphorically.

Artists take risks.

- try new things: I know we all have skulls and organs and such. You don't really think about these things though, especially when you're drawing. To look at the skull and draw from that was new to me.

- experiment: I tried several different ways to do the hair. I still have not completely gotten it down and I will have to continue to practice. There are a lot of online art tutorials that help. I think with this project I definitely should have asked mrs Rossi for more help.

It was interesting how we physically felt our faces to feel where the bones are compared to our facial features. Another thing that got to me was that I do not believe our skulls are 100% the same size and shape. We all have bigger or smaller heads, different jaw lines, etc.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

I am self expressing, including personal interests and examining important issues.

I would say this is an issue considering it is popping up in the news every few weeks for years now.

I am expressing the issue of whether gay marriage should be legal or not.

Obviously, I believe it should be legalized.

My artwork is showing the rainbow "gay flag" along with two wedding rings.

This shows that I am accepting of others decisions and opinions.

Artists take risks.

I definitely tried new things in this project. The final project as shown above is made from ultra fine point sharpie markers, colored pencils, and the rings are made of a mixture of oil pastels.

The reason I say I experimented so much with this project is because this is my 3rd attempt. I have tried painting it, simply drawing it in pencil, and using chalk pastels. They were all way too messy and made me frustrated. I just went with the media I am best at using.

Monday, May 19, 2014

PERSPECTIVE FINAL

Artists take risks and Artists develope art making skills:

After several terrible attempts to make an illusion-like drawing on paper, I have been accepted into a group. We used sidewalk chalk and chalk pastels on brick. We blended the colors in with cardboard. On the very left you see trees and mountains. In the middle you see pyramids and a camel. On the right you see an ocean with a lighthouse. After a comment from a teacher, I had added a shadow to the lighthouse. It did not make sense to not have a shadow beside it. Also, I shaded the pyramids to look more realistic. I think everyone that worked on this piece did an amazing job. An idea I cannot take credit for but really liked was the brick-shadowing. The bricks were colored in on the edges in such a way that it makes it look like the image in there in the background. Like the bricks are cut out so you can see the image. I really like this whole piece. I personally think it is the best mural in the court yard.